"Did you notice the fare to Mars? Four-fifths of that to Earth, and yet
it's farther away. Did you stop to think why?"
* * * * *
He had noticed and he thought he knew why. It was another side of the
citizenship program. Get them away from Earth, the farther the better,
and don't let them come back. If necessary, shuttle them between
colonies, but don't let them come back.
"I hadn't," he said. "Why?"
The voice throbbed throatily and robot eyes grew round. "To induce
people to travel. Travel is wonderful. I love to travel."
Pathetic thing. Someone had erred in building it, had implanted too much
enthusiasm for the job. It loved to travel and would never get farther
than a few feet from the counter. Jadiver dismissed that thought.
"What's this wonderful offer?" he asked.
"Just think of it," whispered the robot. "We have another destination,
much farther than Jupiter, but only one-tenth the fare to Earth. If you
don't have the full fare in cash, just give us verbal assurance that
you'll pay when you get the money. No papers to sign. We have confidence
in your personal integrity."
"Sounds intriguing," Jadiver said, backing away. It sounded more like a
death sentence. Alpha Centauri or some such place--hard grubbing labor
under a blazing or meager sun, it didn't matter which. Exile forever on
planets that lagged and would always lag behind Earth. It took years to
get there, even at speeds only a little below that of light, time in
which the individual was out of touch.
"I hope you won't forget," said the robot. "It's hard to get people to
understand. But I can see that you do."
He understood too well. He ducked out of the flight office. He'd stay
and take it here if he had to, escape some way if he could. Nothing was
worth that kind of sacrifice.
He went slowly back to the apartment. It was not so strange that the
police hadn't arrested him. They knew that he'd stay on the planet, that
he had to. They'd had it figured out long before he did.
He fell into the bed without removing his clothing. The bed made no
effort to induce him to sleep. It wasn't necessary.
* * * * *
In the morning, Jadiver awakened to the smell of food. The room he slept
in was dark, but in the adjacent room he could hear the Kitch-Hen
clucking away contentedly as it prepared breakfast.
He rolled over and sat up. He was not alone.
"Cobber?" he called.
"Yeah," said Cobber. He was very close, but Jadiver couldn't see him.
"The police got them," Jadiver said, reaching for the tangle gun. It was
gone. He'd expected that.
"I heard. I was waiting for them and they didn't come." He was silent
for a moment. "It had to be you, didn't it?"
"It was," Jadiver said. "When I found out, I tried to tell them. But it
was too late."
"Glad you tried," said Cobber. At that instant, so was Jadiver.
"I checked you myself. I couldn't find anything," Cobber added
thoughtfully. "They must have something new."
"It is new," Jadiver wearily confirmed. "I can't get rid of it."
"Mind telling me? I figure I ought to know."
Hunched up in the darkness, Jadiver told him what he could. At present,
he was defenseless. Cobber was a little man, but he was no stranger to
violence and he had the weapons. Perhaps that was what the police
counted on--that Cobber would save them an arrest.
"Bad," said Cobber after an interval. It sounded like a reprieve.
Jadiver waited.
"I liked Burlingame," continued Cobber. "Emily, too."
Burlingame was a decent fellow. Emily he had seen only once, twice if he
counted last night. She deserved better than she got.
"I don't know who it was," Jadiver said. "Some big policeman."
"I know a lot of people--I'll find out," Cobber promised. "I liked
Emily."
It wouldn't do any good, though Jadiver approved. For a while there'd be
one less sadist on the force, and after that they'd hire another.
"You'd better leave while you can," said Jadiver.
Cobber laughed. "I'll get away. I know Venus and I don't have a spy
inside." He got up, turned on the lights and tossed the tangle gun on
the bed. "Here. You need this worse than I do."
Jadiver blinked gratefully and took it. Cobber believed him. If the
police wanted to eliminate him, they'd have to come for him, after all.